1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates broadly to a method for decorating a substrate such as a wood plank or molding. This application relates more specifically to methods and compositions for the production of faux finishes, e.g., faux marbleized finishes on a substrate.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The creation of imitation marble, granite and like decorative finishes has been practiced for centuries, primarily as an artistic endeavor wherein an artisan manually applies paint to a surface and manipulates it into a pattern that seeks to duplicate the appearance of natural marble, granite, etc. In order to make such operations less labor intensive, a variety of techniques have been tried to get paints or colorants, when applied to a substrate, to assume a marbleized design without need for detailed manipulation thereof by the artisan.
One early procedure was to mix the colorant with fermented liquor, apply it to a primed surface and, while still wet, sprinkle it with a hot solution of alkali (see U.S. Pat. No. 242,728).
Another marbleizing process involved throwing a series of colors onto a surface with a brush, sponge, or the like and then applying a thin coating of white lead, terebene and turpentine to intensify the colors (see U.S. Pat. No. 654,404).
In another process, imitation marble was alleged to result from mixing oil color with a volatile liquid, e.g., benzin or ether and a drier, applying this glazing color to a surface and then topping the wet coating with turpentine to distribute the color into a marbled design (see U.S. Pat. No. 825,213).
In an automatic method for producing a faux finish, a continuous strip of metal channel is coated with oil-based paint. The coating is spattered with a non-uniform coating of solvent for the paint and mechanically induced to flow on the coated surface (see U.S. Pat. No. 4,946,715).
In yet another method, portions of a substrate surface are coated with aqueous mixtures of colorant. A water-insoluble volatile organic liquid dissolved in a water-miscible alcohol is then applied. The solution acts on the coated colorant to produce a faux finish (see U.S. Pat. No. 5,122,395).
Each of these approaches has exhibited substantial drawbacks and/or limitations.